How to Break Your Child's Video Game Habit

As a someone who runs a small business that caters to involved parents, I hear this all too often from my customers:

“My kids are addicted to video games and screens! Isn’t this bad for them? How can I get them to stop? Help!”

It’s 2018, and it’s not at all uncommon for kids to get way too much screen time. In fact, the same parts of the brain that light up when someone is addicted to alcohol are the same parts that light up when an addicted gamer looks at computer images. Science has proven it; video games are addictive. Grimmer still, students who are addicted to video games perform worse academically than their non-addicted peers.

These are sobering findings. It’s enough to make any mom or dad’s head spin. Worse yet, is how prevalent computer-generated games are. Only a few short years ago, kids had actually to go home and plug into a stationary game console. But now, the games are portable; they’re in your child’s pocket or his backpack. They’re on his phone, and just waiting to be played. Even if your child doesn’t have a cell phone yet, his friends probably do.

Adults certainly aren’t immune to the siren call of ubiquitous screens either. Over 9% of adults show signs of video game addiction, and every twelve minutes, on average, an American adult checks their phone. That’s 80 times a day!

Can you believe that? While I don’t want to believe it, I do. Practically everyone has a cell phone now, and the smartphone and video game industries generate billions of dollars per year in revenue. They want to keep you and your kids hooked on their devices. So, how can concerned parents fight back?

Well, I believe that the obsessive checking of phones and the reason a lot of kids play too many video games is because it’s merely a habit, born out of boredom, and a lack of structure. While it may seem daunting for you to fight the urge to check a screen or to pry the gaming console from your child’s clammy, determined hand, it can be done. But to change an old habit, you have to turn it into a positive one.

Do you want to spend more quality time with your family, and help your kids achieve academically without fighting them or tearing your hair out in frustration? What if I told you there was an easy and fun way to help break your child’s video game addiction, and it won’t cost you a ton of money?

After all, helping kids achieve academically while making it fun is one of my passions, and its why I went into the business of designing board games. Not only are board games timeless and classic gaming mediums, but they also offer children, parents, and families a surprising number of benefits.

Before I went in the gaming business, I used to teach math, and I’ve always had a passion for helping students learn important concepts that’ll help them succeed as adults. Did you know that board games can help kids learn math, science, dexterity, and even improve their social skills?

Playing a board or a card game with your child teaches them how to plan strategic moves, how to take turns, and how to win or lose gracefully. You can show your kids through the science of play these crucial communications and social skills.

As a parent, you want to prepare your child for the future when they’re an adult and need to find their place in the world and embark on a career path. More and more, employers are starting to value employees with good social skills. Equipping your child with these essential social skills will give them an advantage against those who don’t possess or hone these skills.

Despite how incredibly vital it is to instill these traits and skills in your kids, it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of time, money, or effort. While a lot of parenting is hard work, helping your kids academically and socially while also protecting your time together as a family can be fun and easy.

So, how can you do that, and break your child’s video game addiction?

By adding a family game night to your calendar.

Think about it; instead of your kids retreating off to their rooms to consume lord-knows-what on the gaming console or play the latest, superficial app on their phone, you and your kids sat down and bonded over a fun game?

Group games, like the card and board games of yesteryear, are making a comeback. Parents are starting to rebel againstthe saturation of antisocial video and computer games.

Here at RoosterFin, we have numerous games you can choose from. They’re all one-of-a-kind, durable, and most of all, engaging for you and your family. We’ve created games for all age groups and skill levels to help your kids advance socially and academically and to help you create positive family memories. Setting aside time each week to play together as a family will help you stay involved in your kid’s lives, and it will build their confidence. Check out our games todayand take back your precious family time from the robot hoard!